“We’re so excited to invite Orlando residents and guests from around the world who share our love of wildlife and conservation to meet our ambassador animals and we hope to spark a love for wildlife conservation in everyone who visits,” Jim DeBerry, president of Cool Zoo Wildlife Center, said in a release.

General admission will be $15 for any person over a height of 24 inches. One-on-one encounters with a zoological specialist will range from $10 to $100.

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Dressed in pants and a button-down shirt, Al Penny waded out into the clear blue water and dipped his head beneath the surface.

No one could blame Penny for taking a plunge on a scorching hot summer afternoon. But there was more behind the swim than an effort to cool down. It was a celebratory swim.

For nearly five years, Penny and his team have been working on developing the 1,100-acre Evermore Orlando Resort.

Located near Disney theme parks, it will be anchored by Central Florida’s first Conrad Hotel. The body of water that Penny, director of site development with Dart Interests, descended into was the newly finished artificial lagoon that serves as the project’s centerpiece.

Using technology by Miami-based company Crystal Lagoons, the feature is designed to resemble a tropical beach paradise, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

Spanning 8 acres and filled with 17 million gallons of water, it’s the first Orlando project to feature such an amenity.

The process of filling the lagoon started nine weeks ago and lasted 38 days. The lagoon is 12 feet at its deepest point and 8 feet deep at the center.

On Wednesday, employees with Dart Interests, D.L. Meacham Construction, Kimley-Horn, and Evermore Resorts gathered at the edge of the lagoon and ceremoniously topped it off with the final drops of water.

Some dove in afterward.

The milestone marks the first completed aspect of the resort project ahead of its grand opening in December. The 433-room hotel, luxury vacation homes, villas, and flats are under construction but nearing completion.

“This is absolutely a celebration,” a soaking-wet Penny said. “I’ve got nearly five years of my life wrapped up in this thing. We certainly had some challenges with construction costs, COVID, and a big storm.”

Hurricane Ian caused a brief delay in September after it blew construction materials and debris into the large hole dug out for the lagoon. A crew had to spend nearly a week cleaning up the mess before work could resume.

Then, the opening date was pushed back a few months due to supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic.

In addition to the hotel, Evermore Resorts will include 69 vacation houses ranging in size from five to eleven bedrooms, 206 four-bedroom flats, and 41 two and four-bedroom villas ranging from 2 to 4 bedrooms.

The vacation homes will be available as short-term rentals owned and maintained by the resort.

To the west side of the Evermore property, developers have plans for an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. A food hall, gourmet market and casual restaurant will overlook the golf course and bay. There will also be space for food trucks.

Located along Winter Garden Vineland Road in Orlando’s tourism district, the site sits directly north of Disney Springs, east of Walt Disney World Resort, and west of SeaWorld Orlando.

Crystal Lagoons has offices in five continents with a portfolio of over 2,000 patents in 190 countries, its website says. Currently, there are 222 projects in stages of development and negotiations.

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Father’s Day at Fun Spot

Father’s Day is a special occasion dedicated to honoring the dads who play an invaluable role in our lives. It’s an opportunity to express our love and appreciation for their hard work, guidance, and unwavering support. This Father’s Day, if you’re looking for a unique and exciting way to celebrate, look no further than Fun Spot Orlando. With its thrilling rides, games, and family-friendly atmosphere, Fun Spot Orlando promises an unforgettable Father’s Day experience for the entire family.

Fun Spot Orlando: A Hub of Excitement:

Located in the heart of International Drive, Fun Spot Orlando is a premier amusement park that offers an array of exhilarating rides, captivating attractions, and interactive games. The park is renowned for its commitment to providing affordable entertainment for families while delivering a memorable experience. With its vast selection of rides and activities, Fun Spot Orlando caters to visitors of all ages, making it the perfect destination for a Father’s Day adventure.

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DisneyWorld’s Tron Lighcycle / Run

We’ve entered another phase of the long journey to Tron Lightcycle / Run, the new roller coaster coming to Walt Disney World. Welcome to the “soft opening,” a period before the Magic Kingdom ride’s official debut April 4.

The attraction will use its virtual queue system to assign loading groups, and the paid Lightning Lane also will be available through the My Disney Experience app. There will be no standby line during the soft opening or after its official opening next month.

Using information gleaned from weeks of cast member previews, annual passholder previews and the most recent media event, here are fresh thoughts and suggestions before heading into Tomorrowland.

Night shift

The exterior of Tron Lightcycle / Run is dominated by a sloping canopy, and it presents distinctive looks for day (a bright white) and night (pulsating shades of blue and occasional bursts of orange). The buzz is that it’s a different, more amazing experience in the evenings.

But after dark’s going to be a tough ticket to land intentionally, at least initially, since Disney’s virtual queues tend to fill up quickly and you take the loading group you can get, early or late. (Lightning Lane sellouts may happen quickly too.) Waiting for the second virtual queue window at 1 p.m. will be iffy.

Silver lining: the outdoor stretch of Tron ride is only about 12 seconds.

The dark side

Lockers are built into the ride queue and are activated by your park pass or MagicBand. It’s also cool how the lockers are double-sided (a la Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure) and that lit-up numbers show which slots are in use.

It’s also dark in there. So feel around when fetching those belongings. Maybe even turn the flashlight function of the phone on. I’ve been told darkness is part of the theming, but, wow, that’s one very dark theme.

I pick a locker between waist and eye level for easy (and more visual) exiting.

Point of purchase

The souvenir stop for the Tron ride is named Tomorrowland Launch Depot, and it’s the same space as what was once called Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. aka the gift shop at the Space Mountain exit. There will be the usual assortment of gear to buy — T-shirts, tumblers, mugs, hats, keychains — plus Tron-specific goodies, some retro, some ultramodern with the “Tron” disc (with Bluetooth) built into a backpack. (“Everything’s better with Bluetooth,” — Sheldon Cooper, “The Big Bang Theory.”)

It Bytes

Walt Disney World recently announced Energy Bytes, a new food kiosk in Tomorrowland. It didn’t say where it would be, but there it is, at the bottom of the Tron ramp, near the entrance to Launch Depot.

Menus posted on the building during the media preview indicated items such as buffalo chicken digital dumplings (with “dehydrated blue cheese” and cayenne pepper broth) for $8.49 and strawberry iceoform for $5.29.

Listed under “sip protocol” is a pink drink called watermelon refresher. It features yuzu citrus, ginger and popping candies. It will sell for $5.99.

Rain game

Word on the Imagineering street is that the rain gutters for the giant canopy are hidden away in its “ribbon,” the curved, lower edge of the structure, which leads to drains in the poles. There’s one visible spout, one Imagineer told me.

Imagineers also say Tron Lightcycle / Run should operate in the rain, thanks to the canopy. But journalists note that most Imagineers are an optimistic sort. Let’s check back during one of the daily summer storms.

Going, going … Tron

Finally, if you spied versions of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy in “Tron”-styled outfits during coverage from the media preview, there’s some bummer news. Disney confirms that those versions of the characters were for the event only and won’t be available for meet-and-greets with park guests.

©2023 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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